Unleashed (8 page)

Emma lied. She had no idea what on Earth she was going to wear! She got back to her room and did a recheck of her suitcase. She took a step back and looked at the mess she made, and then she remembered that there were a few stores she passed on the way to the hotel. She looked at her watch and realized it was almost one. So she decided to grab a quick lunch before she went to the store after her stomach did a low growl.

Emma grabbed her pocket book and called the reception area to have a car ready for her. Deciding that she wouldn’t be long, she informed the concierge that the driver would be paid for two hours of their time and to pick her up at two. After she hung up the phone Emma went downstairs to the restaurant inside the hotel and chose the lunch size chicken parmesan with garlic and penne pasta. She ordered a glass of Merlot as well to help calm her nerves. She didn’t even know why, but she was so nervous to meet Zack. Sexy Zack. Beautiful Zack. Edible Zack. Emma licked her lips at the possibilities that popped up in her head of what could happen between the sheets with her and Zack. There was something so powerful about his being that radiated pure sexiness. Emma kept daydreaming even as the waiter brought her food to the table and tried to pinpoint just why she wanted Zack so badly.

Zack couldn’t help but smile for the rest of the morning. Placing his shades over his eyes, he walked to the pool area of one of the popular casino spots. Waving to people he knew. Zack took a seat in front of the Tiki Bar and ordered a Scotch on the rocks. He sipped it slowly as he turned and admired all of the people hanging out around the cabanas and the pool. He watched as men would approach ladies to either be rejected or accepted, some by themselves, others had an audience watching. Zack knew all too well the pressure of trying to get a female’s number while his boys were watching. That usually meant that there was no room for error. So Zack would have to pick and choose his words wisely as well as the female.

Zack could always identify which ladies would be a little harder than the others. Some could be determined just by their outfits alone, others were their body language. But the one thing that never seemed to fail him, was the look in a females eyes when he approached them. Starting the conversation off right was important. When the lady squints a little bit, it’s usually to throw a man off. Instead, she’s observing the male in a way that allows her to seem standoffish but not so much so that he runs away. Zack loved that look, because somehow he always intrigued a woman to the point of where she wanted to know more about him. By that time, Zack would become more vague about himself and show just how much of a gentleman he could be by saying, “No, no, enough about me. What about you?”

By that time, the woman would become intrigued by the conversation and would start to smile and speak about herself casually. That was the part that made him laugh the most, because somehow in that bit of time is when most of their accomplishments in life would be spoken on.  Zack thought back to his memories of being a very good bachelor, one that women loved and men despised or even envied. He had no problem with having that title at that point in his life, but lately he began to cringe when people would bring up his nickname, “Bachelor Zack”. Without a doubt, he earned that title. Women knew what to expect from him before they or even he approached them, purely sex. It was all about the physicality of the encounters. Nothing else seemed to matter. But for some reason he couldn’t get it out of his mind that there was a strong possibility he was going to want to know more than his mystery woman’s body. Whatever the peculiar purpose was behind that desire, he didn’t care at the moment. All he knew was that he wanted to know more about Emma.

Samantha sat bored at her desk. She felt like she had nothing to do with her life and she was getting tired of sitting around and cleaning printers in the office for goodness sakes.
I’m an assistant dammit! Not a janitor.
Surely there was something that Emma had left for her to do. She’d been in work three hours already and all Hank wanted her to do was clean and check on the ink supplies in the other rooms and floors. For some reason she felt that there was tension between her and Hank but she couldn’t figure out what it could be from. She wasn’t late nor had she been rude.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid. I just need to find something to do,
Samantha thought to herself. She was beginning to get frustrated and look at social media sites on her computer when Hank came strolling over to her desk.

“Did you complete everything I asked of you?” Hank asked sternly.

“Yes I did sir. Is there anything else you or Emma need me to do?” Samantha asked kindly.

Hank sucked his teeth and said “Hmph. Wouldn’t you like to know?” under his breath without Samantha hearing a word.

“Excuse me Mr. Berg? Could you repeat that? I couldn’t hear you.” Samantha looked at him with confusion in her eyes.

“Oh nothing Samantha, I’m just having a busy day is all. Don’t mind me. But yes, I would like you to empty out all of the trash cans in the office and on the other levels as well. Then you are free to go home and your work day will be finished. By then you should’ve worked your four hours.”

Samantha looked at him in shock. “Excuse me? Empty the garbage cans? Why me? Don’t we have a janitorial service for that?”

Hank smirked and placed a hand on Samantha’s desk. “Indeed we do Samantha, but for today I have nothing else for you. It’s much too much for you to do. So instead I decided to let you slide with a little work around the office so you earned your pay today.”

Samantha cringed at the steely tone of Hank’s voice. Something was definitely up. He said it was because he was having a rough day but it wasn’t fair that he was taking his anger out on her. Before she said something she regretted, Samantha nodded and excused herself to the restroom.

As she walked away, Hank shook his head at her.
If only she knew what I knew, she wouldn’t be wondering why she’s getting this treatment. She’s lucky I don’t just fire her ass.
Hank walked back to his room frustrated at the fact that he could do nothing to take the pain away from his best friend, Emma. Since day one she had been there for him. Opening up to him so he’d feel comfortable enough to do the same, helping him out on rough days, allowing herself to be a friend to a boss. And despite how close they were, Emma never took advantage of it. She never asked for any favors or favoritism. She was a great worker and friend.

To think that Kevin would be dumb enough to give that all up, baffled him.
Imbecile.
There was no way he would ever give Emma up if he had her. But since he knew that couldn’t happen after their discussion they had a couple years ago, he just wished and prayed for the best for her. He should’ve known that Kevin wouldn’t be good enough for Emma when he started becoming distant. In his heart he knew that Emma deserved better, but she seemed happy so he let her find out on her own. The fact that she had to find out the way she did must have been devastating. But at least now she was on vacation, getting away from the pain of being in this state. Hopefully she was getting her well-deserved R&R.

Zack took one last good look at himself before he got out of the bathroom. Slapping his face with his cologne after he finished shaving he walked out and turned off the lights. For some reason he felt like doing a workout, some push-ups, or possibly even just some jumping jacks. His adrenaline was pumping like crazy. Something in him told him that she was going to be everything he dreamed she’d be, literally.

Zack requested the maid came up for him again to do a quick sweep of the room before he got back. Just in case they came back to his room, he had no intention of letting Emma think that he was a tad bit messy, even though he had to admit he was. But that didn’t matter. He intended on having her think he was just as perfect as he thought that she was. The more he thought about the possibilities of the night, he couldn’t help but become more amped.

Zack put his wallet in the back of his dark brown Armani slacks and buttoned up his white linen shirt. Without a doubt he knew that he looked good. He made sure to keep a couple of buttons undone to show off his chest that he knew that the ladies loved. But for some reason he just couldn’t help but want to impress Emma. He walked out of the room and called his driver inform him it was time pick him up in front when he was downstairs. Tonight was going to be a good night.

Emma ran back and forth through her hotel like a mad woman. She decided that the best thing to do would be to apply her make up in her underwear. She wore a Chantelle’s underwear set that was black and lace. She loved the way it fit her body. But by the time she had gotten back to the hotel it was later than anticipated. She was running an hour behind and she saw that in thirty minutes to seven. She had thirty minutes to put her face on and check that every bit of her body was as smooth as a baby’s bottom. And she personally didn’t even understand that analogy but all she knew is that she had to be virtually hairless.

Somehow a miracle had happened and she had applied her make up perfectly after showering for three minutes. Getting that wax before coming down to this island was one of the best investments she’d made because literally her skin was still so soft and supple even after a couple of days. She could get used to that feeling of no razors.
Why the hell am I thinking about that right now? Zack is going to be here in ten minutes and I’m still in my bra and panties. Get it together!
Emma started to rush towards the bed and pulled out the clothes she bought from the boutique.

Taking the dress out of the bag she unzipped it and put it on. She chose a black and white bandage dress by BCBGMAXAZRIA. The fit was impeccable and showed off all the curves in the right places. Thankfully Emma was still fit even after college. She never gave up working out. She realized the more she worked out, the better she looked naked. What else could she ask for? Zippering up her dress became a hassle and she began to jump around trying to get it up. She knew she looked like a kangaroo and was glad that she chose a dark color so that he couldn’t see that she was probably sweating already!

After turning on the fan and air condition, it became such a damn task that she took a deep breath and then pulled it up after the umpteenth time. The shoe choice she made to set off her dress was a black B Brian Atwood Lollita Chain-trimmed Suede Sandals. The heels were four inches, so hopefully that would be comfortable enough throughout the night. Since her hair was already messy, she decided why not go with a messy bun. So pinning pieces of hair that were out of place she took a look at herself and realized that despite that hard time she just had, she still looked good.

Oh yes, yes, yes! He better not be able to resist me tonight. I didn’t do all of this to not get any.

Emma checked her phone and saw that it was two minutes to seven.
Two minutes?! Dammit. Time to go. Ready or not, it’s happening Miss I Want to Release My Inhibitions.

Emma realized now would probably be a good time to stop talking to herself. She picked up her clutch and ran out of the room. After looking down at her feet and seeing that she was in a sprint to the elevator she began to walk casually. Getting to the elevator she began steady her breathing.

When the doors of the elevator opened she saw Zack’s eyes as soon as he saw hers. Emma didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she stepped foot off the elevator and exhaled when he came over to her and placed a kiss on her hand after saying “Good evening Emma”.

Emma wasn’t sure she had the ability to speak. She looked at him and couldn’t help but wonder what his parents looked like to make such a beautiful man such as Zack himself. Zack’s smirk returned as it had earlier when Emma was lost in the trance of his eyes. She couldn’t help it. Zack cleared his throat amusingly and Emma snapped out of it again.
Shit.

“Good evening Zack. You clean up nicely.”

“So do you Emma. So do you.” He looked at her up and down seductively.

How the hell am I going to make it through tonight without creating a damn wet spot on the seat? This man looks too damn good for his OWN good,
Emma thought to herself.

“You better stop looking at me like that” Emma said to him.
For your own good.

“Like what?”  Zack asked innocently.

“Like you want to see through my dress, like you want to make me your prey.”

“Oh. Like that.” Zack started to laugh and so did Emma. “Well, are you ready to go pretty lady?”

“As a matter of fact, I am.”

They began to walk and Zack’s driver opened the car door for them and they both got into the vehicle. In the car, Zack gave Emma one single rose. Emma gasped and placed a hand on her chest.

“Oh wow, thank you Zack. That was very thoughtful of you.”

“Pretty flower for a pretty lady” Zack shrugged.

Emma stared at him for a couple of seconds and then began laughing.

“That was so corny Zack. Come on. Just be yourself with me. I don’t want any lines. I truly do appreciate the rose but I don’t need you trying to talk my clothes off. Tonight I just want you to be yourself. Make mistakes. No rules. Let’s just have fun. We’re on vacation! Plus, the best way of seeing what’s under this dress is if I like who you are, NATURALLY. So let’s start this over. Thank you Zack. That was very thoughtful of you…” Emma waved her hand for Zack to continue

Zack raised his eyebrows at the forwardness yet honesty of Emma. He looked at her and smiled. Zack cleared his throat and said, “You’re welcome Emma. I just thought I’d keep it simple.”

“Ah, there you go. So, what are we doing tonight?” Emma asked enthusiastically.

“Ha, wouldn’t you like to know? That is a surprise.”

Emma arched her eyebrows with curiosity. “I hate surprises. So just tell me, please and thank you.”

Zack shook his. “Nope. I’m good. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Wink wink.”

Emma giggled and pushed him at the recognition of his sexual innuendo. “You’re a mess. But I like it so far. Keep it up. We’ve only been the car for five minutes and already you have me blushing. Kudos to you Mr. Zack.”

“Mr. Zack? Eww. You make me sound like an old high school principal. Take it back.”

“I will do no such thing.” Emma smiled and Zack looked at her and then his eyes drifted to Emma’s lips. There was a silence that pressed on between them. A tension began rising. The sounds of their breaths were heard in the back seat of the car and Zack leaned in. Emma moved in closer to Zack.

Just as Zack was about kiss Emma, Emma placed a finger on his lips. “You’ve got to earn this kiss Zack. Trust me, it’s well worth the wait.”

Zack took in a deep breath.
I know she is not trying to tease me right now. Two can play this game though.

“Oh I have to
earn
this kiss do I?”

“Yes you do.”

“Well when we get to our destination, you might as well kiss me right then and there. This night won’t disappoint you. I can guarantee you that.”

“Is that so? I like your confidence Zack.”

Zack winked back at Emma and saw that they were arriving at the destination.

As the car stopped, Emma looked around and saw nothing but water and large yachts.

“We’re here my lady.”

“And just where is here? I thought we were going out to eat and dancing.”

“We are. Now come on and stop asking questions.”

“Sir yes sir.” Emma gave Zack a fake salute as she exited the vehicle.

Something so natural was going on between them that made her wonder just how she was going to get through the night without trying to jump on him and devour him. As they began to walk Emma looked over at Zack curiously.

“What do you have up your sleeve Zack? Tell me. Or suffer the consequences.”

“The consequences? Please, feel free to elaborate.”

Emma decided that since she was a grown woman and since this sexy ass man felt like he could tease her, she could take some power in her hands also.

Emma stopped in front of Zack and pulled him closer to her. She looked at his eyes then at his lips. She kissed the side of his lips and he closed his eyes and hissed. She licked his lips from top to bottom while pulling on his belt loop.

Emma smirked and backed away. “That’s just one consequence. You should start listening to me unless you want to end up with blue balls.”

Zack’s eyes opened up wide with shock.

Emma laughed and threw her hands up in surrender. “I’m JUST saying. Can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Zack was in shock. Not only was Emma beautiful, but she was real. Something that was rare in his life. Most ladies just wanted to put up a front, but Emma seemed to be so natural around him. There was something so relaxing about being around her, he couldn’t help but wonder how the rest of tonight was going to go.

Emma and Zack walked down the dock and he pointed to a boat.

“That’s a beautiful yacht. I love the white.”

“I said the same thing when I got it. Her name is Peaches.”

Emma looked back at him. “This is your yacht? Oh my goodness. It’s magnificent. Why’d you name it Peaches?”

Zack looked at her and with a serious face said, “Because it’s on white and I love the song. So it’s basically Peaches and Cream.”

Emma started laughing hysterically and Zack joined her. “Seriously Zack, you are too funny. I can even admit that that was a clever name though. I love it.”

“Well I’m glad you like it Emma. But no, this is my company’s yacht. Which is half mine since I own the company. We bought it for parties, and for the occasional getaway on the water.”

As they stood in front of the one hundred and thirty-eight foot yacht, Emma marveled at the massive beauty. They were escorted onto the boat by the workers and she walked up the steps holding Zack’s hand. The way that it was decorated in its beautiful light blue and white colors made her feel serene and peaceful. She loved the way the marble counter tops glistened under the sun’s rays that were beginning to fade in the sunset. The white couches that circled the main area inside of the yacht stood out to here. Tonight definitely was going to be a night for her to remember.